As much as 90 per cent of artichoke, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower crops in key production areas of Murcia are said to have suffered damage as a result of the unexpectedly cold weather that swept through much of Europe last week.
According to Spanish fresh produce association Asaja Murcia, more than 30 per cent of the region’s artichoke crop was affected by the severe weather, which hit growers in the important production provinces of Guadalentín and Cartagena, among others.
Asaja Murcia general secretary Alfonso Gálvez Caravaca said: “The most severe losses have been seen in artichoke production, which in some areas has been destroyed 100 per cent.
“It is a complete disaster and production has been severely hit – in provinces such as Guadalentín, many fields have been devastated by the cold temperatures that we have experienced in recent nights.”
Mr Gálvez said “80 to 90 per cent” of lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower production in Cartagena and Guadalentín had also been affected by the cold weather, with some growers losing the majority of their crop.
